Sandbox DNA



Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the molecule responsible for carrying genetic information in almost all living organisms. It was first discovered in white blood cells in 1869 by German Biochemist F.Miescher.

DNA Structure and Properties
DNA consists of two polymeric chains, where each is a polynucleotide, twisted around each other to form a double helix. The sugar of each nucleotide is linked by a phosphate group to the sugar of the next nucleotide by a 3'- 5' phosphodiester bond  forming the sugar-phosphate backbone of the DNA. There are four nucleotides in DNA. These are the single ringed pyrimidines, thymine (T) and cytosine (C) and the double ringed purines, adenine (A) and guanine (G). Each nucleotide contains a deoxyribose residue, a phosphate group and a purine or pyrimidine base. The sugar-phosphate backbone of the DNA is very regular owing the phosphodiester linkage whereas the ordering of bases is highly irregular.